The Lunch Lady
Phường Đa Kao, District 1 (Quan 1)

Thanks to the wonders of Anthony Bourdain, the Lunch Lady of Saigon is now one of the most popular joints to visit in the city. She doesn’t have a fixed menu and instead serves a soup that changes daily based on whatever ingredients she chances upon at the morning market. We still have no idea what we had, but it sure was big on flavour. Nothing ground-breaking, just some local realness, albeit with a clear hint of MSG. She also serves fresh and fried spring rolls that you shouldn’t miss out on! Though getting there from the city centre was quite a hunt, the Lunch Lady was still well worth a detour. You know it’s legit when even locals flock to her unpretentious hole in the wall along the street

Pho 2000
1-3 D Phan Chu Trinh

Pho 2000 must’ve probably been the most touristy restaurant we checked out on our trip. The service wasn’t bad at all, but the offerings, including their Pho, were just plain ordinary. A bit of a let down considering the restaurant’s claim to fame that some random American by the name of Bill Clinton was once their customer and had two bowls of Pho. I guess the influx of people that followed over the years has taken its toll on the quality of their food. Reminds me of a piece of advice we got from a local: only have meals at places with low chairs, because that’s when you know it’s the real deal

Bến Thành Market
Lê Lợi, Bến Thành